Factors Influencing Life Satisfaction in Korean Baby-boomer Men with Drinking Problems

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the levels of life satisfaction and identify factors influencing life satisfaction in Korean baby-boomer men with drinking problems. Methods: The study used cross-sectional design with secondary analysis of the 7th data of Korean Welfare Penal Study collected in 2012 from 6,000 Korean households. Among 1,572 baby-boomers born between 1955 and 1963, 349 men with a drinking problem were selected as a sample by the Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. Levels of depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction were measured. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression were conducted with SPSS/WIN 21.0. Results: The findings indicated that the mean AUDIT score was 13.7. Means were 2.8 for depression, 20.2 for self-esteem, and 23.2 for life satisfaction. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that self-esteem, depression, educational level, and levels of problem drinking significantly predicted life satisfaction, explaining 41.1% of the variance. Conclusion: Problem drinking, depression, and self-esteem were important to improve life satisfaction among Korean baby-boomer men. Further study is necessary to examine the mediating effects of depression and self-esteem in the relationship between problem drinking and life satisfaction.